A Chance Encounter
by jm1681
Summary: After butting heads with Asuka for the umpteenth time, Shinji heads to the cafeteria, and finds someone new to talk to. Please Review.


_Hello there Evangelion Archive :)_

_While I'm still largely new to Evangelion as a series and as a lore, after my first viewing of the series, this idea was gnawing at me to be written. Several viewings later, I finally found the proper inspiration to put a few words down :)_

_Phenomenal thanks to Shibata Kimiko. Without her, I never would have given Eva the time of day in the first place, and I would have been SORELY missing out as a result (If you have NOT read her Eva fics, they're all in my favorites. Stop reading mine and go read hers ;) )._

_Without further adieu, I do not own Evangelion or any of its characters._

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><p>"Du wirst nie verstehen Mädchen, du Idiot!"<p>

Naturally, Asuka Langley Sohryu's words were followed with a swift slap across Shinji Ikari's face. Most of the time, Shinji couldn't figure out what Asuka was so angry about when she _wasn't_ screaming at him in German. Though he didn't understand a word of German, one thing she said seemed easy enough to figure out: Idiot. _That sounds about right_ he thought as he tended to his red cheek.

By the time Shinji looked up, the redhead was already well on her way out of the room, muttering incoherently. German was an angry-sounding language to begin with, and some of the words she was spouting sounded outright violent. He lowered his hand as he let out a sigh and checked the clock. _I should have some time before the next sync test. Maybe I should get a little something to snack on…_

Shinji got to his feet, walking the few remaining yards to NERV's cafeteria. He sometimes wondered just how he always seemed to end up in the cafeteria alone. There were hundreds, if not thousands of employees in the building, but he only ever seemed to catch Misato or Kaji there on the rare occasions he found anyone at all. However, as he rounded the corner and set foot into the cafeteria, he finally found an unfamiliar face.

It wasn't like Maya Ibuki was unknown to Shinji. He knew she was one of NERV's best in Central Dogma, and second only to Ritsuko when it came to speed on a keyboard. That, however, was just about all he knew about her. Whenever he caught a glimpse of her, she was intensely focused on her work or looking sort of like she did now, her form bunched up just about as small as she could make it. It was obvious even to someone like him that she was painfully shy. She hadn't even noticed him until he greeted her. "Hey, Maya."

She let out a light gasp, looking up at him in a minor state of panic. Once she recognized him, though, she forced a slight smile and returned the greeting. "Oh, hi Shinji." Of course, then came the obvious question he should've seen coming. "What happened to your face?"

Shinji chuckled lightly, somewhat ashamed. "Asuka," he replied as he pointed to his cheek.

After retrieving a can of iced coffee from the vending machines, Shinji took a seat across from Maya. Oddly, while sitting across from her felt quite simple and comfortable, the two of them sat in complete silence. They occasionally offered each other a brief glance, and several false starts, neither knowing just what to say to the other.

"What's it like-" They both spoke at once, both stopping at the same time.

"I mean-" Again they spoke over each other.

The awkwardness thankfully didn't last long, as they both let out a laugh and scratched their heads in mutual amused embarrassment.

"Please, you first," said Shinji.

Maya collected herself before finally asking her question. "I was just wondering; what's it like to pilot the Eva?"

She could have picked any other subject and Shinji would have been happy to talk about it. But piloting to him wasn't like piloting to Rei or Asuka. Piloting to them was something more. A bond for Rei; pride for Asuka. But to him, it was just something he did because he was told to.

He could have answered that question, and given her much more detail than she ever bargained for about what it was like to pilot. However, as he looked back over to her, he couldn't help but smile. Maya was disarming that way. She was so completely and totally innocent, and her smile so charming, Shinji could only find the lighter sides of being at the Eva's controls.

"Well, it's kind of hard to say really," Shinji finally answered. "You're only this small person in this massive machine, but once you get used to, the Eva feels like it's a part of you. I guess you could say, that once you know what to listen for, the Eva talks to you the way your own body does."

"Talks to you?"

Shinji let out a laugh. "Like I said, it's a little hard to describe. When the Eva takes a step, I feel like I'm taking a step. My legs don't move of course, but the physical sensation is exactly the same."

Maya's face shed its charming demeanor for a moment as she asked her next question. "So when an angel strikes you…"

Again Shinji laughed lightly, "It feels like I'm being struck alright." He could see she was upset at hearing of his pains on the battlefield, and quickly attempted to cheer her up. "But hey, that's what I've got you for, right?"

"What?"

"Lowering the sync rates when things get out of control," he replied with a close-eyed grin.

She was sure to look away from him as she replied. "I guess so. I don't think any of what I do even comes close to the sort of things you do out there."

Shinji leaned forward, placing his still cold can on his cheek. "Well how about you, then?"

Maya looked up and after a few minutes of light conversation, they finally looked one another in the eye. "Me?"

"What's it like being in Central Dogma during a conflict?" Shinji asked. "It can't be easy having to constantly monitor the Evas, right?"

"It's not so bad really," Maya replied. "When I first saw Doctor Akagi at work here, I was skeptical that I'd be of any help at all."

"How _did_ you come to work at NERV anyway?"

"The University I attended held a job fair in our last year," Maya explained. "I was applying for a position with one company, when Doctor Akagi happened to walk by and see me." She might not say anything of it to Shinji, but that first moment she'd laid eyes on Ritsuko… that was a moment she'd never forget. "I didn't even get to say anything really. She told me to come with her, and before I knew it, I was applying for work with NERV."

"She picked you out of a crowd just like that?" Shinji asked.

"Well, when she first found me, I was filling out an application for another company. The application was done on a computer, but it kept crashing, and the people at the booth were too busy to help. So, instead of waiting, I broke into the programming, corrected the glitch, and finished the application process. That's when sempa…I mean Doctor Akagi tapped me on the shoulder."

"Wow! So you were actually able to break open the program code right there?" Shinji asked.

"It wasn't that hard," Maya modestly replied. "The work I do here can be exponentially more difficult, but it's a good challenge, and Doctor Akagi is an excellent mentor."

"It's nice that you have someone like her to work under, and alongside," Shinji replied.

"Hey, it's not like you don't work with amazing people," Maya reassured him.

"Sure," Shinji replied. "One girl who hardly says a word to anyone, and another who'd rather not have me around in the first place."

"What about Misato?"

Shinji locked eyes with her as he asked, "Misato?"

"Captain Katsuragi thinks the world of you, Shinji," Maya replied. "Whenever things look hopeless, getting you out of the Eva is always her first priority."

Shinji turned away from her, but still smiled. "That's just because I'm valuable. I'm the only person who can pilot Unit 01."

She'd been in Central Dogma every time Misato suggested a plug ejection. She knew that each time it was suggested, there was one person who always overruled her decision: Gendo. However, she could hardly tell Shinji that, so she lied. "You don't give her enough credit, Shinji. Misato cares about you very much, we all do."

_Sure. Everyone but my dad_. Not looking to get into a squabble about his relationship with his father, Shinji changed the subject. "So what do you like to do?"

"I'm sorry?" Maya asked, seeking clarification.

"In your spare time," Shinji replied. "Even you have to relax every once in a while. What sort of things do you do?"

She blushed slightly. She'd never told anybody this, but for some reason, even though they'd only spoken just a couple dozen words to one another, Maya felt that she could trust Shinji. Still, she made sure to ask, "Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure."

"I write small, self-terminating virus programs."

"Virus programs?" Shinji cautiously asked.

"Programs that infiltrate a system, and create a disturbance, but don't actually corrupt any data. The viruses eat themselves in a day or so after infection, and once they're gone, they leave no trace."

"I don't get it," Shinji commented. "Why do it then?"

Maya smiled just slightly, remembering her first night at NERV. Truth was, it wasn't her idea at all; it was Ritsuko's. Maya had simply picked up her mentor's mantle as a way to keep up her on-the-fly improvisational skills. "Let's just say, I do it to feel closer to a friend," she answered with a wink.

Shinji merely blinked, and Maya asked, "How about you? What sort of things do you do?"

Just as Maya had, Shinji blushed when questioned. He felt quite comfortable around Maya. Things may have started off a little shaky, but in their short conversation, he found her very easy to talk to. Now came the question though; what did he tell her? That he spent time in the bathroom thinking about Asuka? That he laid awake every night, staring at a ceiling that never quite looked right? That he constantly struggled to think of a way into his father's heart?

"Actually, there is this one thing I-"

Just as he spoke, the intercom throughout NERV HQ blared out an alert.

"All personnel to Level 1 battle stations. An Angel has been detected crossing the Goura Defense Line. Repeat, all hands to Level 1 battle stations. Prepare for Eva sortie."

Maya and Shinji both leapt from their seats.

"I need to-" once again they spoke over each other.

"I should-"

Again they paused in embarrassment. This time though, it was Maya who went first, "Tell you what; I'll see you up there."

Shinji offered her a smile as he replied, "Right."

Maya headed for the exit and just as she came to the corner, turned back to Shinji. Every time he was hurt in battle, Maya almost felt the pain he did. When Shinji roared out in pain during a conflict, she was the only one to turn away, and to cover her ears in absolute agony of the things she heard. She always had a front row seat to the beatings he took from the Angels, and some days, it was just too much for her to bear. One thing was for certain, having this moment, it would only make seeing and hearing those things in the future that much harder.

She forced a smile on her lips, before calling out one last time, "Good luck."

Shinji happily returned the grin. "You too."

She watched him run down the corridor, heading off to battle. After a moment she shook her head, running for the Bridge and her duty station. Shinji and the other pilots had to face the real danger, but she would be there to back them up.

It was only right.

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><p><em>And that's that. If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed it :)<em>

_I have a few other Eva ideas in mind, but this one was at the forefront. Thanks a bunch to Kimiko for helping throughout, and for giving my story a good once over :)_

_Thanks for reading,  
>-jm <em>


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